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Apparently, there is a parasite that cats can pass on to their owners that causes something called toxoplasmosis (pronounced: tox-oh-plaz-mo-sis). And shockingly, a third of people on this globe have it, including 1 in 10 in the United States.
According to experts, the parasite is typically passed through kitty litter.
Even more shockingly, for some reason, of the 213 adults who participated in the study, participants who tested positive for the parasite were seen as a third more attractive.
The study showed that these more attractive people tended to have a lower body mass index, had faces that were more symmetrical and in overall, were viewed as healthier.
Women who possessed the parasite had hooked up with 63% more people than women who didn't have it, and also had a higher opinion of their own attractiveness.
It's unclear as to why any parasite would make us more attractive, however, different studies have found that having it might mess with decision-making, and cause people to take risks.
The study was published in the journal PeerJ, and according to lead researcher Javier Borráz-León, of Finland’s University of Turku, “The parasite may produce changes in the appearance and behavior of the human host, either as a by-product of the infection or as the result of the manipulation of the parasite to increase its spread to new hosts.” Basically, the parasite has evolved to and makes us more attractive to increase the likelihood of it being passed on to more hosts.
Studies also suggest that the parasite boosts testosterone in men but lowers it in women, and could also help you burn more calories...scientists also say that more research needs to be done (and I agree, because this still weirds meowt).
Additionally, it is to be noted that according to the Mayo Clinic, "Toxoplasmosis is a disease that results from infection with the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, one of the world's most common parasites. Infection usually occurs by eating undercooked contaminated meat, exposure from infected cat feces, or mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy."